Catching the wave: harnessing regional research and
development to level up (HEPI Report 144) by Professor Mary
Stuart and Liz Shutt shows how university research and innovation
activities can play a major part in developing regional
economies.
The authors argue for encouraging engagement between universities
and local employers and their communities by changing the
allocation of funding for university research and introducing new
success measures.
Based on three case studies: in the United States (San Deigo),
the UK (Lincoln) and Sweden (Värmland), the report argues funding
and regulation should change to encourage:
- a mix of funding opportunities to support universities,
communities and businesses at different stages of their
development;
- consortia that include place leaders and local partnerships
for innovation – not only research teams;
- joined up support for local clusters across local and central
government, so that investment can ‘crowd in’, creating sustained
impact over time; and
- the diffusion of existing innovation into firms with lower
productivity, including supporting skills enhancement.
Such changes would support the higher education sector to work
with regional partners so that research and innovation take
account of the causes of regional inequality as well as the
opportunities to create change.
Co-author, Professor Mary Stuart CBE, Outgoing Vice
Chancellor of the University of Lincoln and Visiting Professor at
the University of Sussex, said:
‘On the face of it, all three regions in our study seemed
unlikely prospects when local leaders decided to imagine a
different future. Yet through partnerships working to focus on
local assets, supported by research and innovation investment,
change began. In each area, the partnerships identified shared
priorities based on previously unrecognised comparative
advantage. Working in this way, they have been able to catch
waves at the right time in order to generate regional activity,
capture national funding and create ongoing opportunities for the
surrounding communities.
Report co-author Liz Shutt, Director of Policy for the
University of Lincoln and the Greater Lincolnshire Local
Enterprise Partnership, said:
‘Levelling up presents an overdue opportunity to focus economic
policy interventions differently with the hope of driving
different outcomes and renewed opportunity for places left
behind. On the surface level, indicators such as regional GDP per
capita, wage growth or levels of public investment can indicate
which places we should focus on in order to level up, but
understanding the shape and intersection of these underlying
drivers in different communities will help us design more nuanced
and place-appropriate interventions. This can only be done
through partnerships across levels of government, across public
and private organisations and across sectors.’
In her Foreword to the report, Julia Roberts, Practice
Lead, Education, GatenbySanderson, writes:
‘Our higher education system is one of the best in the world and
our funding strategies must empower our civic universities, which
have integral links to their community and other partners. What
will help to make that systemic shift in regional development?
Three successful place-based case studies in this report
demonstrate how each university played an anchor role in
delivering long-term economic development, through their
collaboration with industry and civic partners.’
, HEPI Director, said:
‘We are less than a fortnight away from the next Spending Review,
which will determine the Government’s priorities for the rest of
this Parliament and beyond. Now is the moment to keep research
and development spending on track for the 2.4% target and to
ensure that research spending is used as efficiently as possible
to strengthen all regions of our country.’
Notes for Editors
- HEPI was established in 2002 to influence the higher
education debate with evidence. We are UK-wide, independent and
non-partisan. We are funded by organisations and universities
that wish to see a vibrant higher education debate, as well as
through our own events. HEPI is a company limited by guarantee
and a registered charity.
- This project has received financial support from
GatenbySanderson, which is the UK's leading executive recruitment
and leadership development consultancy, advising public services,
not for profit and education. Their specialist teams recruit and
develop strategic corporate, academic and board leaders across
both higher and further education at the most senior levels.
Editorial control was retained by the authors and HEPI.
